Data and the Superman Renaissance
by SuperBear
Summary: When Data, Geordi and Commander Riker visit the Smallville program on the holodeck, it impacts the Legion in the 31st century.


"Welcome to Smallville," Will Riker said.

"'Meteor Capitol of the World,'" Geordi LaForge noted drily. He pressed a holodeck remote control, and Jerry Seinfeld briefly appeared.

"What's the deal with Smallville?" Jerry asked before he abruptly disappeared.

"Good question," Riker said as he looked around. "What is the story behind Smallville?"

"It is the home of Clark Kent," Data said. "Superman." He sounded puzzled and intrigued at the same time, if that's possible for an android.

"Superman?" Riker said. "Like the Superman? Like Nietzsche's Superman?"

"No, sir. Just Superman." Data slipped into a gentle "Jurassic Park" narrator mode. "Prior to World War Three, he was apparently Earth's greatest hero."

"Some kind of mutant?" Riker asked. As he briefly recalled his encounter with the group known as "X-Men," he wondered if this "Superman" would have thick sideburns and long claws.

"Actually, sir, he was from a planet called Krypton."

Riker raised an eyebrow. "You mean Earth's first contact wasn't with Vulcans?"

"Apparently not, sir. Of course, the existence of Superman was first posited one hundred years ago. Historians have been debating his existence ever since."

"Can't really blame them," Geordi said. "The guy had X-ray vision. Without one of these." He gestured to his visor. "He had heat vision. Super-speed. Super-strength. And he could fly."

"Although not at first," Data said. "During his time in Smallville, there were no flights."

"And no costume," Geordi said.

"Among historians there is a saying: 'No flights, no tights,'" Data said.

"Costume or no costume, if he could fly, seems odd we'd forget someone like that," Riker said.

"Not actually, sir. As a result of World War Three, much of our historical information was lost."

Riker nodded. It was many hundreds of years before the people of Earth remembered Gabriel Bell, the man who led a revolution when Earth's people suffered under an incompetent president. And Bell did that without super-powers.

"So what's the story of Clark Kent? Superman."

"Good question, Commander. Let's get a look at the guy." Geordi pointed his remote control.

As a tall dark-haired young man flickered into view, Riker admitted he was not impressed. Here was a young man, a teen—a kid, really—with his red jacket and ordinary backpack, and he was just standing on a bridge staring off into the distance.

"Here, sir, is Clark Kent," Data said.

Riker grinned. "I guess even Earth's greatest hero needs time to think."

As he watched Clark deep in contemplation, Riker recalled another holodeck program in which Luke Skywalker looked out at the twin suns of Tatooine.

Riker himself looked off in the distance at the Smallville skyline and its prominent blue water tower.

"Smallville looks like a nice quiet place to visit," he said. "Kind of reminds me of Mayberry."

"Or even the Willoughby program," Data said.

"I was never big on the Twilight Zone programs," Riker said as they walked the Loeb Bridge. "Give me an afternoon on the porch with Andy, Opie, Barney, and Aunt Bea any day. Smallville looks just as peaceful."

"You might be surprised, sir," Geordi said.

If I told you that a routine holodeck systems check changed the history of the people of Earth, you might wonder how that could be.

Yet only minutes earlier, Data had his indestructible head in a spark-filled panel while Geordi checked a list of programs. That was how he found the Smallville program, newly installed by an outsider during the last shore leave.

Of course you may wonder why Riker was there. Doesn't the second-in-command of a Federation starship have better things to do? But the "Enterprise" had a lull in its usual activity.

So it was that on his way to meet Data and Geordi, Riker found an ensign texting and tweeting while on sentry duty. Among ensigns, 21st century Earth practices were the latest retro-fad.

The ensign scrambled to put away his cell phone but Riker simply grinned.

"At ease," he said. "How do you like this little break in the action, ensign?"

The ensign grinned. "I'm just glad we're not on 'Voyager,' sir."

Among some members of Starfleet, "Voyager" was a joke. Captain Janeway, they said, was always stopping to explore this or that anomaly. Shouldn't they be hurrying home?

There was even a report that one "Voyager" crew member mentioned this at a crew meeting and got a number of stares from senior staff. The topic was never broached again.

"Carry on," Riker said then he stepped into the holodeck and into the world of Smallville.

On the Loeb Bridge, Data slipped into a deep announcer voice. "Faster than a speeding bullet. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound."

He was interrupted when a silver gray Porsche slammed into Clark Kent.

Riker waited until Clark surfaced with the driver. "Maybe Smallville isn't so quiet, after all."

"Maybe not, sir. Take a look at this." Geordi pointed the remote control.

Holodeck images passed by swiftly. Riker watched as a knife broke on Clark Kent's chest then a mace shattered against his face. He watched as Clark survived a barrage of bullets then a fiery truck explosion. As a red pickup with a screaming young woman swirled around in a tornado, Clark dived in. Riker watched as Clark shielded the young woman with his body.

Geordi pointed the remote again. "And here are some of Smallville's more unusual residents."

As more holodeck images flashed by, Riker commented. "A bug boy. A fire coach. A shape-shifter. An ice man. A boy with gills. Vampires? What kind of place was this?"

"They were all affected by meteor rocks from Krypton," Data said. "As I said, the existence of Superman was posited a hundred years ago. But his time in Smallville was relatively unknown. Only recently has the period been reconstructed by a historian named Bart Barter."

"With a name like that," Geordi said, "it's a wonder he could be taken seriously as a historian or anything else."

"It is an obscure period," Data said. "But he did a great deal of research. And his research seems sound."

After the routine system check, Geordi sent a report to Captain Picard. Now Captain Picard was a man of great influence, having once saved Earth from a Borg invasion and all that. But he was not the one to tell people throughout the galaxy about Superman.

That was Data. Years later he taught at Starfleet Academy, and he taught about Superman. His students were well-versed in Earth's other great influences: Moses, Jesus, Shakespeare, Einstein, Zefram Cochrane, and Captain Kirk. They eagerly absorbed all the new information about Superman.

Historians put out all kinds of new information about Superman. Some of it was even in comic book form (though they preferred the term "graphic novel.")

The ethos of Clark Kent spread not only to the leaders of Starfleet but to the population at large over hundreds of years.

By the 31st century super-powered beings from all the planets united to live by the code of Clark Kent. Yes, the same Clark Kent who woke up one morning to find himself floating. The same Clark Kent who tripped and fell when he got within five feet of Lana Lang.

By the 31st century beings from all over the galaxy had banded together to form the Legion. Of course many non-powered people also lived by the code of Clark Kent and they were legion even if they weren't Legion.

The Legion's code was modified after Rokk, Irma, and Garth returned from a time travel excursion in which they defeated the evil schemes of both the Persuader and Brainiac.

The Legion's new "prime directive" was: "Protect life at all costs."

If you've followed the adventures of the "U.S.S. Enterprise," you may have wondered if Superman was part of their history. If so, why did they not mention him? Now you know they only learned of him late in their mission..

You may also have wondered if the "Enterprise" in the 24th century had any connection to the Legion in the 31st century. Now you know that as well.

And it all began with Data, Geordi, and Riker in that holodeck.

Sitting in the Talon, Riker consulted a portable info-pad with the latest Superman research. "He does seem like the stuff of myth. Says here one of his first exploits was to push Darkseid's planet away from Earth."

"Yes, sir," Data said. "From that moment on the Loeb Bridge when Lex Luthor drove his Porsche into Clark Kent to that event involving Darkseid's planet, that ten-year period is considered the Smallville Era."

"Wait. Lex Luthor?' Riker said. "President of the United States? It's not often a myth is linked to a historical figure."

"What about it, Data?" Geordi said. "Do you think Superman was real?"

"The historical research would indicate so."

Will Riker smiled broadly. "Well, Data, if you think he was real, I'm inclined to believe it."

Geordi lifted his coffee cup. "And I'm sure you can convince a lot of other people, too."


End file.
